Fabian Wagner

Ian Moran’s Thoughts: Wagner is a very detail orientated center. As the shift goes on he is incredibly reliable when recognizing who is playing which role and whether he is an F1, F2 or F3. This might sound obvious, but rarely do you see him make a wrong read and end up getting trapped on the wrong side of the play or heading in the wrong direction. In defensive zone transition Wagner is always providing close support and ready to be there when there is a defensive breakdown or he needs to be an outlet for an 8′ pass. In the neutral zone he judges width and depth very quickly and he has the ability to knock sauce passes cleanly out of the air. And lastly, he never seems to tire. He plays at top speed, stops on every puck and wins foot races every shift. The only knock on him is that he does not produce points at the same clip as some of his more well known teammates, but we view him has a top 9 forward in the National League.

U18 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup: Team Sweden vs Team USA, August 7, 2021: Wagner can flat out fly. Normally we would say that player with this type of speed and quickness tends to drift and not be detailed orientated, but in this outing Wagner played like a professional. He consistently maintained net side positioning, led with a stick on puck defending style and his quick first step allowed him to take away time and space before his Team USA opponents were ready. He scored a huge goal in the second period after winning a race to a loose puck and keeping the cycle alive. Wagner then beat his man to the high slot, cleanly settled a bouncing pass and confidently ripped a shot to the high blocker side. Considering he only played 12:45 he finished with 1 goal, 1 assist and was a key face-off man down the stretch.